While many can confuse the two, Public Relations and Mass Media are not the same thing. They are similar, in the way they both reach the masses through modern technology (television, phones, social media), but the practices are two totally different entities. Some say that with these increases in technology and society’s standards, that the lines defining the two are becoming blurred.

Videos are making a lot of noise in the business industry. YouTube is the second most popular social media site in the world right now and there’s a good reason why. People like videos and they want more. In a time where everyone wants everything done in record time, video content fits snugly into the fast-paced lives of most of the people you’re trying to reach.

Almost every business you can think of right now has a social media account. From Lush to Wendy's and thousands of businesses in between owning a social media account for your business is essential to reaching your target audience. It allows you to engage with your existing customers, learn more about them and provide unlimited opportunities for your business to be shared.

It can feel very intimidating when facing the world as an emerging musician. It is a massive pool of talent that is already difficult to enter, and even more so when it comes to promotion of your image. Initially, it can seem impossible when starting off on your own. But fear not, because there are some tips and tricks emerging musicians can use to help their own public relations efforts.

You know those products that claim to be one size fits all? I don't trust them. Why do you ask? Because, in my experience, one size fits all items never fit me the way I want them too. The same goes for your marketing and public relations efforts. If you treat your consumers like they're all the same you will never achieve optimum opportunities for success. There's nothing cookie cutter about a productive marketing strategy because there's nothing cookie cutter about your target audience. No matter what you're trying to sell you need an audience to get behind it and you need to know the group you're marketing to. Considering the U.S. population is primarily made up of three generations: the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, you're going to need just as many ways to successfully reach the consumers you want to reach in order to build beneficial relationships with them and create brand loyalty.

Anyone who has kids knows the power of a toy commercial. Once a kid sees what they really want, they don't stop until they get it. This is why a lot of the marketing for children’s products is tailored right to the children. It makes sense. Make the kid want it enough to bug mom and dad until they fork up the money. This works with more than just toys, too. In many households, kids are at the forefront of a lot of family decisions, including where to eat, where to shop and where to go for family outings. If the baby’s unhappy, everyone is unhappy.

Erica wants to break the mold of traditional PR, which is why we consider ourselves The Millennial Firm. During our interview, I asked her to go into detail about what that meant. "I wanted to do something different. We don't typically go your normal way. Traditional PR strays away from things like Facebook Live or Instagram Live. I want to take that risk." Every successful business, no matter the size, has been built from the ground up by someone who was willing to take the proper risks and make the right choices.

The time has finally come for Millennials to storm the workforce, although it is happening in a different way than previous generations have done. While professionalism is still revered among them, there is a certain open-mindedness to new opportunities, and in fact a purposeful search for them. However, in modern days with a public emphasis on remaining as broadly inclusive as possible, and not to “step on anyone’s toes”, many in the professional workforces find themselves hesitant to do and say what is truly on their minds when necessary.

Fun fact: public relations have been around for a pretty long time - I’m talking since the 18th century. From the first use of the printing press to the birth of Twitter, businesses have been trying to reach out to the public and build their brand name. But over time public relations have grown into more than just advertising, it’s become a relationship between brands and consumers.

Public Relations is a tool utilized by many businesses for decades in promoting, protecting, and uplifting their business image. The primary goal of Public Relations is to mold the client’s standing with the masses by creating various methods of multimedia for public consumption. It is the perfect medium between the client and the consumer crowds. Many use this service as a tool in protecting their public image and upholding that positivity through various endeavors. This will not only project the client’s businesses but also spur great talks about their product(s).

Some would say that social media is changing public relations, but what is really happening is that it’s changing the way public relations is done. The goal is still the same, but the route is now different. Connections and communication have always been the main idea of PR, but social media, right from the beginning, has completely changed how we connect and communicate, so naturally, that extends to PR as well.

Running a successful business in 2017 means winning over the largest generation that gets the most side-eye, the Millennials. A major misconception about Millennials is that we’re impatient. But the thing is, living as the generation that grew up with technology at their fingertips creates a certain mindset. We don’t have to send a letter we can text. We don’t have to go the bank it’s on our phones. The truth is we’ve grown accustomed to finding what we want at high speeds with our phones, laptops, and tablets we tend to keep on us at all times. This is good news for businesses because each of those screens provides a multitude of opportunities to reach consumers.

It takes an individuals drive and determination to mark your place in this great big world. It requires an extraordinary dedication and exploration that is characteristic of only one generation, and that is the Millennials. They have become the largest generation in both population size and inciting change in society.